Slayride: The Chase
by girlgeekjf
Summary: When disaster strikes while Tim is on patrol during the Christmas season the rest of the Bats start a desperate race to find him.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: this takes place during Detective comics issue 826 "Slayride, a great story if you want to check it out. I will be including the details of the plot in this story, so just as set up I will say that in this comic, Tim is adopted and living with Bruce, Dick is in New York, and the rest of the batkids aren't really in the picture. I really wanted to start posting no later than Christmas since that is when the story takes place. Merry Christmas and enjoy!**

" Possible Joker sighting. "

Alfred dropped the present he was wrappingas soon as the police dispatch crackled over the Cave's alert system. He was back in his chair in an instant, scanning the monitors for any information he could give when the calls came in from the field.

Not surprisingly, the first came from the Master.

"Batman to cave, Status on the Joker."

"Just one moment, sir. I am patching into a dialogue between officers as we speak" He paused to listen. "A passing motorist claims to have seen the Joker driving an SUV onto exit 5W. It will take you 15 minutes to arrive there from your current location."

"On my way." Batman's tone was clipped. "Where's Robin?"

Alfred looked at his screen with a rising sense of dread. "He is on a planned mission to apprehend gun dealers his cycle is less than a mile from the reported sighting."

Alfred could practically hear Batman gritting his teeth. "Don't interrupt his mission with the Joker tip. I don't want to distract the Joker on his own is out of the question. When you hear from him again, tell him to come home."

"Understood, sir. And if Night wing arrives, what should I tell him?" Dick was on a plane back to New York for a holiday visit; Alfred was expecting a call from him any time now for an airport pickup.

"Don't send him out, let him enjoy his rest. It may be a false alarm. Batman out."

Alfred took a slow, deep breath, trying to maintain his calm. Truth be told, there had many false Joker sightings lately. Odd's were tonight's was nothing. Dread of disaster was keener during the holidays, as much a part of the spirit of the season as giving gifts or singing carols. No one ever wants to lose someone at Christmas.

It was an iron-clad rule of the Cave that all Joker sightings were to be taken seriousy and investigated thoroughly. After settled himself down for a long night where every minute of silence seemed to be hours.

After ten such agonizing minutes, Batman's voice broke the silence. He was now at the 5W exit according to the computer. Heaven knows how fast he had been going to make that time.

"No sign of the Joker. Where is Robin? I'll finish up his patrol with him."

And make sure he comes home as quickly as possible, Alfred mentally added. The Master's protective instincts would be in high gear right now.

"He is in the alley on your right, sir." Alfred did not feel the need to caution him to be careful not to blow Tim's cover; Bruce would know how to intervene without spoiling a bust, though Alfred did consider warning him not to steal his adopted son's thunder. But time was precious with a he threat of the Joker looming and it was more important to have Tim home promptly. The butler watched as the signal for the batmobile creapt closer to the symbol for Robin's cycle until they were almost on top of each other.

A police warning came across his computer and he immediately called Batman. "Sir, there is another sighting of the Joker driving an SUV, this time with a possible hostage in the-"

"Alfred" Batman's voice was a low growl. " Robin is gone. His cycle is in the middle of the road with his belt. He's been taken."


	2. Chapter 2

**So sorry about the wait, general busyness plus bad luck (had a stomach virus than two days later had a nasty cold despite the fact tgat I rarely get sick). I will finish this story, I promise.**

Batman was furiously picking through the wreckage of the cycle searching for any possible clue to Robin's whereabouts or condion. Bullet casings littered the street but he saw no blood or uniform fragments. His belt had been removed by someone who knew to avoid it's shock mechanism; only a few criminals were that intelligent and experienced. Conclusion: Robin had been kidnapped, most likely still in one piece, but the prime suspect was the Joker; there was no way Robin would be returned to them in one piece, barring a miracle.

Since miracles were beyond even the power of Batman, Bruce would have to settle for Tim's next best hope: speed. He swung himself back into the Batmobile and brought up the map display on the console.

"Any location on the last Joker sighting?" His brief scene survey should have given Alfred time to scan the police reports.

"Intersection of Main and Market Streets, sir." Alfred sounded shaken, but as always he was ready to serve.

"I'll be there in 3 minutes. When was your last communication with Robin?"

"Forty-five minutes ago. No movement from his tracker after that point."

"He must have been taken at least half an hour ago; his bike was cool to the touch when I found it. Thirty to forty-five minutes is our timeframe."

With the Joker, 45 minutes could mean anything. The fact that he hadn't tried to send Batman a message in that time might mean that he had barely started taking his revenge on Robin, or he could be dragging Tim's already dead body around Gotham just to make a point.

Bruce swerved up to the Market/Main intersection, rapidly scanning for any signs of a disturbance. He saw nothing at first and he slowed; making a loop around the alley to have another look. This time he caught a flash of blue and red out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to follow it as Alfred's voice came back over the com.

"Sir, Nightwing has just entered the cave." Bruce could here a cheerful greeting in the background.

"Put him on." They needed as many people as possible on this hunt. He'd sent a JLA alert, but no heavy hitters were on deck tonight, just Arsenal on monitor duty promising send the first speedster he could get in contact with, but It wasn't a sure thing that any would be available tonight. Superman was out, his powers hadn't fully returned since the last Crisis.

"Batman, Nightwing here. What's going on?"

"Robin's been kidnapped by the Joker. Put on your gear and come downtown. Alfred and I will update you as you go."

"On my way." Nightwing's tone was dark, but he asked no questions. He knew time was critical without being told.

The cop cars were coming to an abrupt stop a few blocks in front of him. Batman slowed down as he approached, activating a magnified viewscreen on the dashboard to see what they were surrounding. He felt his heart stop.

"Alfred, there are bodies in the road."

 **To be continued (more quickly this time). Please read and review.**


	3. Chapter 3

The Batmobile door opened soundlessly and Batman stalked out equally quietly, keeping to the shadows as he made his way to the crime scene. Currently he was on good enough terms with the police that they would at worst ignore him and at best might help him gather information, but that did not mean he wanted to make a big show of his entrance. He and his vehicle, parked several spaces away on the side of the street, had so far gone unnoticed. He edged into the light, within the line of sight of the officer he presumed to be in charge, the reliable Captain Brickner. Batman looked directly at him and gave a small nod. The Captain nodded slightly in return; Batman watched as he excused himself from his fellow officers and wandered casually over to the shadows.

Batman growled quietly "How many?"

"Two." Said Captain Brickner. "Man and a woman, separated by several blocks. The street was deserted at the time of the attack, so no witnesses. The woman was struck once by a car, the man had been struck and then run over. Pretty horrific work, but what should we expect when the Joker's involved. We have reason to suspect he was the one who put in the 911 call for this."

So the Joker was actively killing and gloating now. To Batman it had the feel of a prelude, a warm-up to the show of what he would do to Tim.

"Any other reports of vehicular homicide?"

"None so far. We have every available officer out on the streets looking for erratic driving or any other suspicious activity. All eyes are on the road, but no one has eyes on the Joker right now."

"Any messages left on the victims?"

"No, looks like a random crime of opportunity. No signs of anyone getting out of the car, and no clear signs of where the car is now. They appeared to be going north on West Fourth Street," (he waved an arm toward the road on his right) and we've sent 8 cars in that direction but so far no report has come back from—" Captain Brickner turned from where he was pointing to notice that he was talking to the air.

Behind the wheel once again, Batman signaled Nightwing. "Last report of the Joker has him going North on West Fourth Street. He's killed two on his way there already."

Nightwing's voice was cold. "He's forcing Robin to watch."

That had been Bruce's suspicion about the situation as well. Tim, who like Bruce was most comfortable when he had a plan, when he had control over his circumstances, must be in agony over his helplessness right while he watched the Joker's spree.

"Sir" Alfred came onto the com system. "There is a report of a shooting at a Big Belly Burger on West Fourth Street. The Joker is said to be the suspected shooter, and he was accompanied by a masked hostage."

Batman looked down at the navigation system. The restaurant was on his route. He might learn something by stopping to ask questions, but it would delay his chase of the Joker.

Nightwing seemed to know what he was thinking. "I'll take to the restaurant. You just keep going. Bring Robin home."

 **Will update as soon as I can, definitely by the end of the week. Please read and review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Nightwing rolled into the parking lot of the Big Belly Burger. Still free of cop cars, but it wouldn't stay that way for long; he would have to work quickly. The Joker had most likely stayed in his car if he was trying to hold Robin captive as an audience for his crimes. Nightwing drove up to the still-open pickup window, hopped off his bike, and quickly climbed through.

He was immediately met by two crying, terrified employees. A teenage guy with a patchy beard screamed. Nightwing held up his hands.

"Relax. I'm here to help." He kept his voice calm and soothing despite the urgency he felt.

"Can you do anything for him?" A young woman with long blond hair said frantically, pointing to a body on the floor.

It was a red-headed man with a goatee and a very large hole in the middle of his forehead. Nightwing leaned down and felt for a pulse but didn't expect to find one based on the amount of blood pooling around the man's head.

"I'm sorry." He said gently. "I can't. The ambulance is on its way." The teen guy let out a choking sound. Nightwing continued. " But I maybe able to stop the Joker from more killing tonight. I just need your help."

The teen simply stared at him. still in shock, but the blond woman nodded fiercely, keeping her gaze steady despite her tears.

" What did you notice about the Joker's passenger seat? Did he have anyone with him?" He desperately wanted an update on Tim's condition.

"He had a guy with him, young, still a kid." She said slowly, closing her eyes to concentrate on the memory. "The kid had dark hair and a mask- one of your crowd. He couldn't move much; I think he was duct taped to the seat. There was definitely tape over his mouth so he couldn't talk but I saw him flinch when the gun went off."

Nightwing felt his heart lift slightly. Tim was alive, and without any glaringly obvious injuries. But that was minutes ago. He needed to know where he was now.

"Which way did they go when they left?"

She shook her head. "Don't know. I was trying to help Steve."

Nightwing hesitated, looking down at the fallen man, not sure he felt right about leaving such a traumatized group on their own. The sound of sirens and a chirp from the com in his ear settled it for him.

He put his hand on the women's shoulder. "Help is here. I have to catch the Joker now. Is the door unlocked.? Will you be okay waiting a minute for the EMS?"

"I'll get the lock. Just go. Stop him." Her face was tight and her voice shook with contained rage.

Nightwing lightly exited out the window, hailing Alfred as he mounted his cycle.

"Nightwing here."

"Sir, I am patching in a call recorded just minutes ago by Gotham EMS." Alfred said without preamble. "Head to exit 44 onto 21 North."

Nightwing weaved his motorcycle around the ambulance and cop car as a distorted recording played in his ear.

"He almost ran into those kids talking with Santa! Oh, I can still see the car, it's going up the ramp- wait, now it's swerving, someone's falling out the door, the cars still moving, it's out of control- oh my word that truck's going to hit them. I can't see any more past the truck. You need to send someone now!"

Then there was silence. Night wing couldn't think of anything to say to comfort Alfre, who had also gone silent.

Nighhtwing's fear and frustration were almost overwhelming as he approached the exit and saw a tangled knot of cars already blocked off by a few flashing lights and officers setting up cones. He had only been a few minutes behind. Why couldn't he have been faster?

He saw the Batmobile pull up beside him. At least he would have Bruce with him to face the aftermath of tonight's disaster.

 **Sorry this took so long, life's been busy though thankfully in a good way. This should have two more longer chapters, hopefully posted quicker this time, and I promise that Tim is in them.**

 **Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm not sure there is an adequate apology for leaving a story hanging this long, but I am sorry. I made a resolution to write at least a half hour every week this year and make my priority finishing this story. I also learned that unless I ever start an epic open-ended story I should wait to post till I write the whole thing. I liked the idea of this story but the execution was more difficult than I thought it would be.**

Chapter 5

Bruce hated sending Dick to find the body that had fallen out of the car. He would give anything to save Dick from seeing Tim's broken body, but Batman was needed to stop the Joker from slaughtering the cops who had come to get him from the wreck on the overpass above.

As he approached, he took in the crime scene. The car in question was up against the guardrail at an angle, some damage to the front but nothing too drastic; unfortunately there was no chance of the Joker having incapacitated himself in the accident. He didn't see anyone inside the car currently. On the other side of the car he saw the outline of several officers, their posture relaxed. Were they idiotic enough to be ignoring the Joker? Even if they thought he was unconscious, any good Gotham cop should know not to drop their guard if they were within a mile of the Joker.

Batman stopped around the car, muscles tense, and came face to face with Officer Lindor, a cop who was wary of, and sometimes even hostile to, vigilantes. Dealing with her required diplomacy, but Batman had no time for diplomacy today.

He settled on pure intimidation. "Where is Joker?" he growled.

Officer Lindor scowled at him but to her credit kept her voice steady as she said "We have no location on the Joker. He was out of the car by the time we got here. Eyewitnesses say he fell off the overpass, not that we've found any sign of him on the highway below."

Batman tried to glare more information out of her. She glared right back at him for a solid moment, then sighed. "As long as you're here to make our lives difficult, could you take a look at your sidekick? Only got the basic facts of the incident from him. He says he's ok, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't accept help from us even if he was dying because of the whole secret identity thing you have drilled into your followers."

Batman distantly noted the sarcasm of her tone as her words suddenly flipped the situation around in his head. He pushed his way into the circle of cops, ignoring Officer Lindor's disdain and her order to get back. Hunched next to the car, camouflaged by his dark hair and long dark cloak, was Tim, examining the back wheels of the car with one of the other officers.

Relief overwhelmed Batman. He spoke softly into his com. "Nightwing, I have eyes on Robin. He's talking with the police right now. I'll bring him home. Continue to look for Joker."

Tim's head went up at the sound of his voice. Bruce could see red marks around his mouth; Joker's work, the marks of some gag used to keep him silent.

The cop next to Tim caught sight of Batman and moved away, going to talk to one of the other officers.

Bruce took a few steps closer to Tim and reached out to place a hand on his right shoulder. He noted a slight wince at the action.

"Are you hurt?" he asked quietly.

"Not really." Tim said, his voice and eyes downcast. He let Batman guide him as they headed over to the Batmobile.

Batman felt his frantic heartrate gradually slowing. Tim seemed to have good range of motion, and Batman didn't see any blood on him; however, Tim's evasive answer prompted him to dig a little deeper. The dark costume colors and limited light outside made it hard to check him for injuries.

"What happened?" He watched as Tim perched himself on the Batmobile's back tire, hunching over and pulling one knee up to his chest for balance.

Tim told the story of his evening, calmly and soberly. First he had driven into a shootout between dealers, taking a shot to the shoulder in the process. On seeing Batman take a step closer Tim assured him the Kevlar in his cape had protected him (Bruce would have Alfred look at it later). Tim winced in embarrassment as he talked about willingly jumping into an unknown car only to be dosed with knockout gas by the Joker, waking up covered in duct tape and discovering a dead couple in the back of the car. Tim's voice became softer when he came to the part where he was forced to watch the Joker kill yet more people. He had only managed to stop the spree by quoting the Marx Brothers' and wrongly attributing it to the wrong movie, starting an argument which distracted the Joker just long enough to escape his bonds. He used the Joker's own gas to force him out of the car and then lost sight of him while trying to slow down before hitting the barrier.

Batman had two main thoughts after hearing Tim's account. One: There really was no limit to how much bad luck you could have in one Gotham night and Two: Tim had done extraordinarily well handling the situation. True, he probably should have looked twice before entering the car in the first place, but this was no place for a lecture about situational awareness. Batman could tell Tim was beating himself up about the whole thing, and what he needed most right now was encouragement and a ride. There wasn't much more they could do at the scene; since the cops hadn't followed Tim he must be satisfied with his statement already. It was time to head home.

 _Short exert from the comic for context and to end the scene:_

 _Tim: Any point in hoping they found his body on the street?_

 _Bruce: Doesn't look like it._

 _Tim: Thanks Santa, and here I thought I had been so good this year._

 _Bruce: I'm proud of you, Tim. You took the worst Joker could give and you beat him. That may not make you feel better about his victims, but he won't be hurting anyone else for a long time._

 _Tim: That's something I guess._

 _Bruce: Sometimes that's all we get_.

 **Thanks for reading. I should have the final chapter posted by the end of the week (it's finished, just need to proofread and revise it).**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tim stifled a groan of relief as they finally pulled into the Batcave. Finally, this day was about to end. He was too tired for conversation and he had caught himself shifting around to try and take pressure off his injured shoulder. He hoped Bruce hadn't noticed. The injury wasn't a big deal. People had been killed today, and it seemed ridiculous to complain about a bruise.

He was out of the Batmobile as soon as it stopped moving. He really wanted to clean up and go to sleep. Heading towards the showers, he slammed right into Dick's chest. He started to squeak out an apology, but his big brother was crushing him in a hug way too tight for him to breath.

"Oh, thank God. I heard "Joker" and I immediately assumed the worst. I had no idea how we were going to get you out of that. Lucky for us, you got yourself out." Tim looked up to catch Dick's proud grin out of the corner of his eye.

"Be careful, he took a hit to the right shoulder earlier." Bruce rumbled from behind Tim, who shot a glare at him.

Dick immediately released Tim but kept one hand lightly on his left shoulder, eyeing him critically. "Sorry about that, Tim. I'm just so glad you're alive. Come on, let's get you to Alfred."

"It's okay, no need for Alfred to fuss over me. It's just been a… a day." Tim wasn't grumpy, really, he appreciated Dick's affectionate nature, but bed was calling. "All I want to do now is sleep."

"And so you shall, master Timothy, but I assure you that you will be much more comfortable after I check your injuries." Alfred said smoothly, seeming to appear out of thin air like usual.

Tim opened his mouth to begin an unwise argument with Alfred, but shut it as soon as he got a good look at him. It was rare to see such naked worry on Alfred's face. Tim tried to imagine all that Alfred had gone through tonight, stuck listening to com chatter and police reports but not able to do anything but relay messages. If letting Alfred use his medical skills would make him feel more useful, Tim supposed he was willing to delay his sleep and allow some fussing.

He sat down on the med bay cot and stripped off his cape, handing it to Bruce. The top part of his costume came next, his stiff and sore muscles making his movements noticeably slower.

"Ouch." Tim heard Dick say from behind him. "That looks nasty. What did they hit you with?"

"A bullet." Tim said nonchalantly. This was their life, after all. Dick's hand again went to his left shoulder, gripping it tightly.

Tim looked around him. His family was unusually freaked out by all this tonight. Now that he had time to think about it, he might be freaking out a little bit himself. Of course there was being face to face with the Joker, but even before that the bullet had hit right at the angle between his shoulder and neck. Another inch and it would have hit the small patch of uncovered skin on his neck and killed him. Tim let out a breath slowly to stop a sudden shiver.

Alfred hummed from beside his medical equipment. "I am not seeing any breaks, I suspect it is just deep tissue bruising. Some Motrin and an ice pack should suffice. Any other injuries?"

"No." Tim shook his head, thankful he didn't have to stretch the truth this time. "Honestly, that was it. The gas the Joker used to knock me out wore off pretty quickly, no side effects besides a slight headache. I managed to slow the car way down before it hit the divider, didn't even give myself whiplash." Tim held Alfred's gaze steadily for a moment or two, then the butler nodded, satisfied.

"All right, I believe I can send you off to bed now. Well done, young sir."

"Yeah, you were awesome tonight, Tim" Dick chimed in, smiling. Tim gave him a weary, skeptical look and his expression softened. "I know it hurts not to be able save everyone, but outwitting the Joker and stopping him in the middle of a spree is nothing short of, as I just said, awesome."

"I meant what I told you earlier, Tim." Bruce said quietly. "I am proud of how you handled yourself."

This overflow of positive attention was beginning to make Tim very self-conscious. He gave a shy smile and a quiet "thanks", then started heading to the shower. What he saw tonight would no doubt haunt him for a long time, but at least his family had given him some moments worth remembering.

The End

 **Thanks for reading. Sorry again for how long it took to finish.**


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